Farms & Farm Machinery #385

TEST REVIEW
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9. Plenty of work capability
10. Large doors provide easy cab access
11. The small but clear dash allows plenty of
forward visibility
12. The powershift gears on the loader joystick
simplify loader work
13. The colour matched loader and tractor make
for a handsome package
14. Bird’s eye-view of the controls
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Pros
Bright, well-laid-out cab
Stylish bonnet design
Well-proven, frugal Tier 3 engine
ZF 30/15-speed transmission
Four-speed PTO
Push-button control and auto feature
Well-balanced machine, ideal for loader work
Cons
Windscreen height was a little low for taller
operators
Our test machine was fitted with small
540/65R24 and 600/65R38 tyres; ideally tyres
would be larger and do come as such
The proven six-litre sixcylinder
Deutz engine in
the G Series is a farmer’s
best friend.
OPERATOR ENVIRONMENT
The Deutz-Fahr G Series features the PowerVision cab. First
impressions once inside is of the familiar Deutz outlook: bright
and spacious with familiar colour-coded controls.
One personal gripe is that if you’re tall and wide like me, you
need the seat pumped up so your spine doesn’t penetrate the
top of your skull on the first bum , but for me, my extra height
means I look right at the top of the windscreen. This will be an
issue for few, however, but then my mum always did say that I
was special.
Back on a more positive note, the cab is equipped with
mechanical suspension (giving a silky-smooth ride) and has
the new ‘detached cab from hood’ concept. It’s pretty selfexplanatory
what that entails, but in essence, it reduces
vibrations and the noise level by as much as five per cent from
previous models. I can remember all the way back to the MK3
Agrotron being known for its quiet cab and that was 18 years
ago. I’d better switch subjects before I figu e out how old that
makes me now!
HYDRAULICS/PTO/LINKAGE
Around the rear of the tractor, there’s plenty more good stuff
from Deutz. A dedicated steering pump provides a constant 42L/
min. In terms of the main pump the Vista comes with, this is a
110L/min gear pump, while the Summit spec’d machines have
the 120L/min CCLS variable displacement pump.
Up to four mechanical spools can be optioned, with electronic
valves available on the professional series variants (not on the
6G). All come with the electronically-controlled rear linkage. Lift
capacity of 6.2 tonnes is ample, although annoyingly needs to
be unlocked every time the tractor is started. The height control
dial was easy enough to use and provided smooth lifting and
lowering, even with heavy bales on the back.
The norm is now to include four-speed power take-off (PTO),
and Deutz hasn’t let the side down in that department. There’s
push button start, mechanical gear selection (bonus features of
auto PTO), and external start/stop as standard.
VERDICT
Most of the competition in this price bracket ends up being a
version of a smaller model jacked up to achieve the desired
weight/power to match it with the pack. However, the Deutz-
Fahr 6135 and 6155G are the opposite; big boys’ (/girls’) toys
that have been on a diet, kitted out with a frugal Tier 3 engine,
a trusted ZF transmission with plenty of gears in the working
range, and all coupled with a quiet and spacious engine. I had
the Trima loader fitted and have no gripes with Alo branded
machines; top-notch all round.
A 163hp tractor with a high-quality loader for low $130k throws
the $1,000/hp argument out the window, and with the newest
Deutz-Fahr models arriving with larger tyres, the argument for
investing becomes even more compelling.
38 TradeFarmMachinery.com.au THE TRACTOR YOU WANT IS NOW EASIER TO FIND